FRIENDS OF DIE OOG
Newsletter, July 2026
Good winter rains to date has allowed water levels in the Cape Town dams to rise from critical levels of around 60% capacity (at of 6 February 2026) to over 72% average for all of Cape Town’s dam storage capacity (measurements at 1 June 2026). Rainfall this year accumulated to near record levels, similar to volumes observed in wet years such as 1983, 1986/87, 1990 and 1996. See chart below for a recorded rainfall at the Newlands Station. csag.uct.ac.za/current-seasons-rainfall-in-cape-town/
Similarly, the dam water level at Die Oog has risen substantially since the major storm that hit the Cape in May. It is looking beautiful! Especially since the council cleared the Kariba weed overgrowth that completely covered the entire water surface at the start of the year.
Link to view Cape Town city supply dam levels: capetown.gov.za/Family and home/residential-utility-services/residential-water-and-sanitation-services/this-weeks-dam-levels
Mid-March Annual General Meeting
We held our Annual General Meeting at Die Oog on 14 March 2026, sharing a Chairman’s address and a financial report for Friends of Die Oog, providing updates on overgrowth and wetland clearing, the CoCT’s long-term maintenance plans and proposals for community involvement and support. All members and children were welcome, with children partaking in water sampling and experimenting with a fun learning initiative by our guest speaker Prof Kevin Winter who also provided insights into the surface water quality at Die Oog and Cape Town’s inland water bodies. His talks are always fun and engaging for all.
Kevin Winter is an emeritus professor in Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and an executive member of the Future Water Institute at UCT in research that deals with surface water management and monitoring. He is also the research director for the Water Hub research centre in Franschhoek. Kevin has widely published academic literature on urban water management and water science; standing as a member of the City of Cape Town’s Section 80 Inland and Wetland Water Quality Committee which helps to support the City in its efforts to manage significant challenges of water quality in our waterways, wetlands and shorelines.
Water quality at Die Oog was falling outside of the range of acceptable limits early in the year when water levels were low and Kariba Weed growth completely engulfed the water surface. All sample components are now back within acceptable limits, which is evident in the healthy animal life being observed within our wetland sanctuary. Monthly water chemistry, chlorophyll and E-coli dashboards can be viewed by clicking on the following link: Public Inland Water Quality Dashboard
Thank you for your support
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Chas Everett for their outstanding generosity, and commitment to supporting local organisations like Friends of Die Oog. Your assistance in donating a new weed-eater has made a meaningful difference and has helped us greatly in continuing to look after Die Oog. Support from people and businesses such as yours strengthens our community and allows important natural resources like this to continue being enjoyed by the community.
Membership renewal
We received a number of donations following our flyer drive and AGM meeting. Thank you to all that support Friends of Die Oog. Wages for our gardener are funded by subscriptions and donations. He has been helping to maintain and clear invasive weed growth following work by the city council.
Annual family membership is only R100. Any additional donations go a long way to help us cover the rising costs of maintenance. If you are unsure of your current membership status please email us at admin@dieoog.org.za. Please click on this link for membership renewal or donations.
Please email us at admin@dieoog.org.za for any questions or if you’d like a copy of the minutes or financial report from the 2026 AGM.
Best regards from all on the Friends of Die Oog committee
Keryn Tsimitakopoulos
Committee member of Friends of Die Oog
